Morrison: shoals of hair

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Marius Hancu - 23 Jan 2010 21:54 GMT

Hello:

Which meaning of "shoals" could be in effect here in "shoals of hair?"

---
[Hagar, hugely troubled by her lover deserting her, goes through a
shopping spree, then arrives home thoroughly drenched by a downpour]

At last, she opened the door and presented herself to Pilate and Reba.
And it was in their eyes that she saw what she had not seen before in
the mirror: the wet ripped hose, the soiled white dress, the sticky,
lumpy, face powder, the streaked rouge and the wild wet shoals of
hair.

Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, p. 315
---
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Cheryl - 23 Jan 2010 22:17 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

I think it's just vivid description - her hair looks as randomly
arranged as a coastline with shoals - rocks or sandbars sticking out at
random intervals. And she's wet, which goes well with the shoals image.

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Cheryl

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tony cooper - 23 Jan 2010 22:19 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
>Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, p. 315

I am trying not to be distracted by the in-my-head sound of "The
Shoals of Herring" being sung by Ewan MacColl as I write this. A
"shoal" is a linear landform composed of sand, silt, or small pebbles.
(Wiki)

It is not hard to imagine, given how else she is described, to think
of her with linear strips of wet hair clumped together.

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Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

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Peter Duncanson (BrE) - 23 Jan 2010 22:19 GMT

>Hello:
>
>Which meaning of "shoals" could be in effect here in "shoals of hair?"

To me it seems to have the shoals of fish meaning. The hairs of her head
are wet and the water is holding them together in "groupss" that move
independently of each other.

Something like this perhaps, but wilder:
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/7533944/2/istockphoto_7533944-
portrait-of-young-woman-with-wet-hair.jpg
or http://tinyurl.com/ybrhter

>---
>[Hagar, hugely troubled by her lover deserting her, goes through a
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, p. 315
>---

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Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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Marius Hancu - 23 Jan 2010 22:29 GMT

On Jan 23, 5:19 pm, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

> >Which meaning of "shoals" could be in effect here in "shoals of hair?"
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Something like this perhaps, but wilder:http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/7533944/2/istockpho...
> orhttp://tinyurl.com/ybrhter

I had that kind of image in my head:-)

> >---
> >[Hagar, hugely troubled by her lover deserting her, goes through a
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> >Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, p. 315

Thank you all.
Marius Hancu

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010

Morrison: shoals of hair